1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to transport trailers, and more particularly to transport trailers for standardized shipping containers, and most particularly to transport trailers for standardized shipping containers adapted for use with ISO or other intermodal containers.
2. Description of Related Art
The standard ISU series of containers, manufactured by AAR Mobility Systems, Cadillac, Mich., are widely used by a number of different users whose capabilities and needs vary widely. These users include but are not limited to the U.S. and foreign military, private and public international aid organizations, and various commercial and private users. As an example, the ISU-60 Four Door is a container box approximately 108 in. long, 88 in. wide, and 60 in. high. The box has four doors, two on each side, each about 49 in. tall and 45 in. wide. While different containers in the ISU series differ in height and other features, e.g. The ISU-90 is 90 in. high, they all have the same base (length by width) footprint.
However, there has not been an economical and compact transport system available to simplify movement of these containers from an airfield or seaport to their final destination in the field. This is a significant problem, particularly when the containers are handled by a number of different parties during their shipment and deployment, i.e. the container passes though different hands on its way to its final destination, each using different equipment having different capabilities. For example, the U.S. military is now involved in an increasing number of humanitarian aid efforts in the U.S. and around the world, often involving civilian participants or foreign military. U.S. military transport systems may be incompatible with the transport systems used by others, yet they may all be required to handle the container at various points during its transport to its final destination.
Commercial and other freight today is often shipped in intermodal containers. Intermodal containers are containers typically made of corrugated weathering steel and built to standardized dimensions, particularly dimensions set by the International Shipping Organization (ISO), to facilitate transport. Exemplary dimensions are lengths of 20 ft., 40 ft., 45 ft., 48 ft., and 53 ft., with 48 and 53 ft. being common in the U.S., and with typical widths and heights of 8 ft. Intermodal containers, also frequently called ISO containers, freight containers, shipping containers, or just containers, once loaded, can be stacked, transported efficiently over long distances, and transferred from one mode of transport to another—container ships, rail, semi-trailer trucks—without being opened.
ISU containers can conveniently be loaded into ISO or other intermodal containers for shipping. The widths of the ISU containers are only slightly smaller than the widths of the ISO containers; depending on the length of the ISO or other intermodal container, two or more ISU containers may be placed therein. It is desirable to facilitate the loading and unloading of ISU containers into and out of ISO or other intermodal containers. It is also desirable to facilitate the transport of the ISU containers to and from the ISO containers.
The transport of ISU containers to the field is often under extreme duress, e.g. during a battle or a humanitarian aid crisis, where time is critical. Transport may be over difficult terrain, and must be done quickly, so that securing the containers is of primary importance. Also immediate access to the containers is essential. Time lost in loading and unloading the ISU containers into and from the ISO containers or in transferring the ISU containers between different parties or in engaging or disengaging a securing system may be a critical loss of time for the mission. It is desirable to have a transport system that minimizes the time for loading and unloading the ISU container into and from the ISO containers and for transferring the ISU containers between different parties and for engaging or disengaging a securing system. Military tow vehicles (primary movers) usually have high hitches, whereas commercial tow vehicles usually have low hitches. Also military vehicles generally operate on 24 V while commercial vehicles operate on 12 V. It is also desirable to provide a transport system in which various tow vehicles, including military and commercial tow vehicles, may be readily interchanged.
Accordingly it is desirable to provide a transport trailer designed to accommodate containers having a preselected base footprint. It is further desirable to provide a transport trailer that facilitates transfer between different parties having different capabilities and using different tow vehicles, facilitates loading and unloading into and out of ISO and other intermodal containers, and facilitates securing and unsecuring of the container to the trailer.